Edexcel GCSE Drama: Designing Drama

HOW TO DOCUMENT YOUR SET DESIGN Set designers need to produce their designs very early in the process as lighting, in particular, cannot be designed without knowledge of the set. The director and performers also need to lay out the rehearsal area in a way that represents the set. What documents do I need to produce? All types of theatre designer must be able to show their design ideas long before their costumes, set, lighting and sound are actually created. Sketches, ground plans and models are useful ways of doing this. Clear drawings and ground plans are required in your documents for Components 1 and 2. These do not need to be drawn to scale , but showing scale on the ground plan, in particular, is very useful. When your set is constructed, the builders will use the ground plan to check measurements. Set designs are created for a specific space. Produce plans that reflect the size of this space as well as the appropriate stage configuration. Drawings of the final design This example draft sketch shows a design idea for Oscar Wilde’s Victorian social comedy The Importance of Being Earnest . It includes enough detail to base a ground plan on. ASSESSMENT CHECK These notes will help you to produce the required drawings of the final design and ground plans of the performance space. These will help you towards AO1 and AO2. FOCUS • Clearly presenting your set design as a ground plan. • Using 3D models to visualise the design. Three flats are joined to make a run at the back of an end-on stage configuration. Two portraits are hung at either side of the doors. Two more flats are free-standing centre left and centre right. A large Victorian-style rug centre stage. Two chairs and a small table stand on the rug. The centre section is hinged to form outward-opening French windows . 20 Chapter 1 Practical Guide to Set Design